SHABBY

shabby

(adjective) mean and unworthy and despicable; “shabby treatment”

ratty, moth-eaten, shabby, tatty

(adjective) showing signs of wear and tear; “a ratty old overcoat”; “shabby furniture”; “an old house with dirty windows and tatty curtains”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

shabby (comparative shabbier, superlative shabbiest)

Torn or worn; unkempt.

Clothed with ragged, much worn, or soiled garments.

Mean; paltry; despicable.

Source: Wiktionary


Shab"by, a. [Compar. Shabbier; superl. Shabbiest.] Etym: [See Shab, n., Scabby, and Scab.]

1. Torn or worn to rage; poor; mean; ragged. Wearing shabby coats and dirty shirts. Macaulay.

2. Clothed with ragged, much worn, or soiled garments. "The dean was so shabby." Swift.

3. Mean; paltry; despicable; as, shabby treatment. "Very shabby fellows." Clarendon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

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